Our welcoming Annapolis funeral home

At John M. Taylor Funeral Home, we provide beautiful family rooms, an inspirational chapel, a spacious lobby, reception facilities and a private conference area to serve all of your funeral and memorial needs. We bring the warmth, history and character of the city of Annapolis into our building's decor and strive to make you feel comfortable in our home.

Personalized services

At John M. Taylor Funeral Home, we believe that every life is unique. Every funeral should be, too. Whether you are looking for cremation services, traditional funerals or completely custom memorial services, we are here to serve all of your needs. We work frequently with the United States Naval Academy on their military memorials and are able to accommodate a variety of needs.

Here for all your funeral and memorial needs

Whether you are in need of immediate service or are interested in planning ahead, you’ll find that we always go the extra mile to provide special assistance and answer any questions you may have. At John M. Taylor Funeral Home, our continuing commitment is to serve each family as we would our own—with compassion, understanding and professionalism you can rely on.

We are a member of the Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers, offering quality, compassionate care and service you can trust. 

History

John M. Taylor Funeral Home has provided over 150 years of service to Annapolis and the surrounding communities.

Established in the 1800s

John M. Taylor Funeral Home began in the 1800s when Annapolis cabinetmaker, James S. Taylor, would close his carpentry shop for days at a time to assist his relative and town undertaker, Daniel Caulk, in conducting funerals.

Following Caulk's death in 1862, Taylor took over the funeral business, establishing the funeral home at 53 Fleet Street, near the city docks. From the Fleet Street location in 1905, Taylor had the honor of directing the entombment of Revolutionary War hero, John Paul Jones, in the Naval Academy Chapel's crypt. Since then, John M. Taylor Funeral Home has served many families affiliated with the United States Naval Academy.

With staggering numbers of deaths during the influenza epidemic of 1918, the Taylor family labored for 7 straight days and nights, going without sleep, burying the victims of the flu and bringing comfort to their families.

John M. Taylor Sr. and expansion

James S. Taylor's son, John M. Taylor Sr., took over the business and moved it to its current location at 147 Duke of Gloucester Street, next to the St. Mary's Church complex in 1924. John M. Taylor Sr. expanded the building in 1944 to include a chapel, which he patterned after St. Andrew's Chapel, the undercroft church at the Naval Academy.

Following the 1958 addition of the current visitation rooms and carport, Taylor's sons, John Jr., Robert and Donald, took over the business in the 1960s. John Jr. later left the business to become an Episcopal priest, leaving the business to Robert and Donald. Robert's sons, Jeff and Robert, continued in the business. In the early 1990s the funeral home was remodeled once again.

Since 1862, visitors to the funeral home have included most Annapolis area residents, state government officials, high ranking military personnel and former President Jimmy Carter, who came to pay respects to a Naval Academy classmate. Over the past 150 years, the John M. Taylor Funeral Home has served 5 generations of Annapolitans with compassion and professionalism in their time of greatest need. We look forward to many more years giving comfort to those who need it most.